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Introduction
The word Jharkhand , meaning "forest region," applies to a forested mountainous plateau region in eastern India, south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and west of the Ganga's delta in Bangladesh. The term dates at least to the sixteenth century. In the more extensive claims of the movement, Jharkhand comprises seven districts in Bihar, three in West Bengal, four in Orissa, and two in Madhya Pradesh. Ninety percent of the Scheduled Tribes in Jharkhand live in the Bihar districts. The tribal peoples, who are from two groups, the Chotanagpurs and the Santals, have been the main agitators for the movement.

Jharkhand is mountainous and heavily forested and, therefore, easy to defend. As a result, it was traditionally autonomous from the central government until the seventeenth century when its riches attracted the Mughal rulers. Mughal administration eventually led to more outside interference and a change from the traditional collective system of land ownership to one of private landholders.

These trends intensified under British colonial rule, leading to more land being transferred to the local tribes' creditors and the development of a system of "bonded labor," which meant permanent and often hereditary debt slavery to one employer. Unable to make effective use of the British court system, tribal peoples resorted to rebellion starting in the late eighteenth century. In response, the British government passed a number of laws in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to restrict alienation of tribal lands and to protect the interests of tribal cultivators.

The advent of Christian missions in the region in 1845 led to major cultural changes, which were later to be important in the Jharkhand movement. A significant proportion of the tribes converted to Christianity, and schools were founded for both sexes, including higher institutions to train tribal people as teachers.

Jharkhand's mineral wealth also has been a problem for the tribes. The region is India's primary source of coal and iron. Bauxite, copper, limestone, asbestos, and graphite also are found there. Coal mining began in 1856, and the Tata Iron and Steel Factory was established in Jamshedpur in 1907.

The modern Jharkhand movement dates to the early part of the twentieth century; activity was initially among Christian tribal students but later also among non-Christians and even some nontribals. Rivalries developed among the various Protestant churches and with the Roman Catholic Church, but most of the groups coalesced in the electoral arena and achieved some successes on the local level in the 1930s. The movement at this period was directed more at Indian dikus (outsiders) than at the British. Jharkhand spokesmen made representations to British constitutional commissions requesting a separate state and redress of grievances, but without much success.

Independence in 1947 brought emphasis on planned industrialization centering on heavy industries, including a large expansion of mining. A measure of the economic importance of the Jharkhand mines is that the region produces more than 75 percent of the revenue of Bihar, a large state. The socialist pattern of development pursued by the central government led to forced sales of tribal lands to the government, with the usual problem of perceived inadequate compensation. On the other hand, government authorities felt that because the soils of the region are poor, industrialization was particularly necessary for the local people, not just for the national good. However, industrial development brought about further influx of outsiders, and local people considered that they were not being hired in sufficient numbers. The nationalization of the mines in 1971 allegedly was followed by the firing of almost 50,000 miners from Jharkhand and their replacement by outsiders.

Land was also acquired by the government for building dams and their reservoirs. However, some observers thought that very little of the electricity and water produced by the dams was going to the region. In addition, government forestry favored the replacement of species of trees that had multiple uses to the forest dwellers with others useful only for commercial sales. Traditional shifting cultivation and forest grazing were restricted, and the local people felt that the prices paid by the government for forest products they gathered for sale were too low. In the decades since independence, these problems have persisted and intensified.

On the political front, in 1949 the Jharkhand Party, under the leadership of Jaipal Singh, swept the tribal districts in the first general elections. When the States Reorganisation Commission was formed, a memorandum was submitted to it asking for an extensive region to be established as Jharkhand, which would have exceeded West Bengal in area and Orissa in population. The commission rejected the idea of a Jharkhand state, however, on the grounds that it lacked a common language. In the 1950s, the Jharkhand Party continued as the largest opposition party in the Bihar legislative assembly, but it gradually declined in strength. The worst blow came in 1963 when Jaipal Singh merged the party into the Congress without consulting the membership. In the wake of this move, several splinter Jharkhand parties were formed, with varying degrees of electoral success. These parties were largely divided along tribal lines, which the movement previously had not seen.

There also has been dissention between Christian and non-Christian tribal people because of differences in level of education and economic development. Non-Christian tribals formed separate organizations to promote their interests in the 1940s and again in the 1960s. In 1968 a parliamentary study team visited Ranchi investigating the removal of groups from the official list of Scheduled Tribes (thereby depriving these groups of various compensatory privileges). Mass meetings were held and petitions submitted to the study team maintaining that Christians had ceased to be tribals by conversion from tribal religions, and that they benefitted unfairly both from mission schooling and from government protection as members of Scheduled Tribes. In the following years, there were accusations that the missionaries were foreign outside agitators.

In August 1995, the state government of Bihar established the 180-member Provisional Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council. The council has 162 elected members (two each from eighty-one assembly constituencies in the Jharkhand area) and eighteen appointed members.

Geography
The new State Jharkhand formerly a part of Bihar state, was formed on November 15th, 2000 with Ranchi as its capital. Jharkhand is the 28th state of the Indian Union.

The new state largely comprises of the forest tracks of Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal Pargana and has distinct cultural traditions. This area in and around the districts of Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas was formerly Southern Bihar and is thickly wooded and consists of a succession of hills. History

Jharkhand which came into being on 15 November 2000 as the 28th State of the Union is the homeland of the tribals for which they had been dreaming for centuries. According to legend, Raja Jai Singh Deo of Orissa had declared himself the ruler of Jharkhand in the 13th century. It largely comprises forest tracks of Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal Pargana and has distinct cultural traditions. In post-Independence era, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha started a regular agitation which impelled the government to establish the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council in 1995 and finally a full-fledged State.

The state of Jharkhand has an area of 79,714 sq. km. and a population of 26.9 million. There are 22 districts, 211 blocks and 32615 villages. The State has population density of 338 per sq. km. (as against the national average of 312). The decadal growth rate of the state is NA (against 21.54% for the country) and the population of the state continues to grow at a much faster rate than the national rate.

HEALTH INDICATORS OF JHARKHAND
The Total Fertility Rate of the State is 3.5. The Infant Mortality Rate is 49 and Maternal Mortality Ratio is 371 (SRS 2001 - 03) which are higher than the National average. The Sex Ratio in the State is 941 (as compared to 933 for the country). Comparative figures of major health and demographic indicators are as follows :

Table I: Demographic, Socio-economic and Health profile of Jharkhand State as compared to India figures 

S. No.	Item	Jharkhand	India
1	Total population (Census 2001) (in million)	26.9	1028.61
2	Decadal Growth (Census 2001) (%)	NA	21.54
3	Crude Birth Rate (SRS 2007)	26.2	23.5
4	Crude Death Rate (SRS 2007)	7.5	7.5
5	Total Fertility Rate (SRS 2006)	3.5	2.9
6	Infant Mortality Rate (SRS 2007)	49	57
7	Maternal Mortality Ratio (SRS 2001 - 2003)	371	301
8	Sex Ratio (Census 2001)	941	933
9	Population below Poverty line (%)	-	26.10
10	Schedule Caste population (in million)	3.19	166.64
11	Schedule Tribe population (in million)	7.09	84.33
12	Female Literacy Rate (Census 2001) (%)	38.9	53.7

Table II: Health Infrastructure of Jharkhand

Particulars	Required	In  position	shortfall
Sub-centre	5057	3958	1099
Primary Health Centre	806	330	476
Community Health Centre	201	194	7
Multipurpose worker (Female)/ANM at Sub Centres & PHCs	4288	4372	-
Health Worker (Male) MPW(M) at Sub Centres	3958	4291	-
Health Assistant (Female)/LHV at PHCs	330	278	52
Health Assistant (Male) at PHCs	330	118	212
Doctor at PHCs	330	2323	-
Obstetricians & Gynaecologists at CHCs	194	61	133
Physicians at CHCs	194	22	172
Paediatricians at CHCs	194	19	175
Total specialists at CHCs	776	139	637
Radiographers	194	24	170
Pharmacist	524	310	214
Laboratory Technicians	524	239	285
Nurse/Midwife	1688	451	1237

The other Health Institution in the State are detailed as under:

Health Institution	Number
Medical College	3
District Hospitals	22
Referral Hospitals
City Family Welfare Centre
Rural Dispensaries
Ayurvedic Hospitals	1
Ayurvedic Dispensaries	122
Unani Hospitals	-
Unani Dispensaries	30
Homeopathic Hospitals	2
Homeopathic Dispensary	54

Organogram

List and Addresses of State Officials

Principal Secy
Shri Siyaram Prasad Sinha, Secretary (Health) & Mission Director (NRHM), Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, Nepal House, Doranda, Ranchi- 834004. office: 0651- 2261002, 0651-2491033 Resi.: 0651-2442587 Fax: 0651-2261001, 0651-2490314                             Mob: 09431129333 E Mail: sec-health-jhr@nic.in
Mission Director
Shri Siyaram Prasad Sinha, Mission Director (NRHM) & Secretary (Health) Department of Health & Family Welfare Government of Jharkhand Nepal House, Doranda, Ranchi- 834004. office: 0651- 2261002, 0651-2491033 Resi.: 0651-2442587 Fax: 0651-2261001, 0651-2490314                           Mob: 09431129333 E Mail: sec-health-jhr@nic.in
Regional Director
State Immunisation Officer
Dr. (MRs.) Pushpa Mariaback State EPI Officer(H&FW), RCH Center Namkumb, Govt. of Vaccine Inst., Ranchi-834010		Tel. 0651-2260894, 2260363, 2260362 Telefax: 0651-2260361 Fax; 2441915
State IEC Officers
State RCH Officers
Dr. D K Saxena, Project Director (RCH), RCH Center Namkumb, Govt. Of Vaccine Instt. Ranchi-834010 Jharkhand		Tel. Off. 0651-2261050-55, 2261856, 2261053 Fax: 0651-2260361, 2490314 Email: dinesh_98@sify.com
Disease Control Programs
1. NBCP    (National Blindness Control Programme)	Dr. Raj Mohan State Programme Officer (NPCB) Rameshwaran, Bariatu Road Ranchi – 834009, Jharkhand Tel. Off.   0651-2201655, 2253533 Fax(SPO) : 0651-2309556, 2490649, Secretary No. : 0651-2500314 Resi. 0651-2301021, 2540899, 2541149 Email: rch_mohanraj@sancharnet.in
2. NLEP   (National Leprosy Eradication Programme)	Dr. Bidhu Bhushan Singh, State Leprosy Officer Leprosy Research & Training Institute, Brambe, Ranchi – 835 205, Jharkhand Resi: 0651-2226604 Email: slojharkhand@rediffmail.com
3. RNTCP (Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme)	Dr. N.D. Sahay State TB Cell, ITKI TB Sanatorium, P O ITKI, Ranchi-834001 06529-227178/79, 06529-227187(o), 06529-227178(fax) Email: STOJH@tbcindia.org
4. IDSP (Integrated Disease Survlliance Programme)	Dr. A.K. Upadhyay Itki Sanatorium, Itki, Ranchi-835301, Jharkhand Tel. 06529-227235, 0651-2490583(O), Fax: 06529-2729897, 0651-227182
5. NVBDCP (National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme)	Dr. A.K. Upadhyay State Malaria Officer, NVBDCP, Itki Sanatorium, Itki, Ranchi-835301, Jharkhand Tel.   06529-227235 Fax: 2729897

Soils
Soil content of Jharkhand state mainly consist of soil formed from disintegration of rocks and stones, and soil composition is further divided into:
Red soil, found mostly in the Damodar valley, and Rajmahal area
Micacious soil (containing particles of mica), found in Koderma, Jhumeritilaiya, Barkagaon, and areas around the Mandar hill
Sandy soil, generally found in Hazaribagh and Dhanbad
Black soil, found in Rajmahal area
Laterite soil, found in western part of Ranchi, Palamu, and parts of Santhal Parganas and Singhbhum

Population
Jharkhand has a population of 26.90 million, consisting of 13.86 million males and 13.04 million females. The sex ratio is 941 females to 1000 males. The population consists of 28% tribals, 12% Scheduled Castes and 60% others. There are 274 persons for each square kilometer of land. However, the population density varies considerably from as low as 148 per square kilometer in Gumla district to as high as 1167 per square kilometer in Dhanbad district. Jharkhand has remained a home to a number of tribal communities since time immemorial. Some of the districts have a predominant tribal population. Jharkhand has 32 primitive tribal groups.These are Asur, Baiga, Banjara, Bathudi, Bedia, Binjhia, Birhor, Birjia, Chero, Chick-Baraik, Gond, Gorait, Ho, Karmali, Kharwar, Khond, Kisan, Kora, Korwa, Lohra, Mahli, Mal-Paharia, Munda, Oraon, Parhaiya, Santal, Sauria-Paharia, Savar, Bhumij, Kol and Kanwar. The geographical area now comprising Jharkhand was previously part of Bihar. The area has witnessed migration of people from the adjoining areas of Bihar and West Bengal for last several decades. Industrial and mining centres like Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Ranchi have attracted people from all parts of India. Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the three religions that came in through the colonisers. The Tribal comunities of Jharkhand have their own spiritual beliefs commonly called Sarna. During the process colonisation the tribal religious beliefs were considered pagan and this was a tool for further subordination. Today the tribal people are realizing this and now Sarna is a growing phenomena. The literacy rate in Jharkhand is only 54.13% (2001) and female literacy rate is still lower at 39.38%.

Economy
Jharkhand is a rich state of poor people. It has concentration of some of country's highly industrialized cities like Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Dhanbad. Jharkhand also has immense mineral resources: minerals ranging from (ranking in the country within bracket) from iron ore (1st), coal (3rd), copper ore (1st), mica (1st), bauxite (3rd), Manganese, lime stone, china clay, fire clay, graphite (8th), kainite (1st), chromite (2nd), asbestos (1st), thorium (3rd), yemenite (2nd), sillimanite, uranium (Jaduguda mines, Narwa Pahar) (1st) and even gold (Rakha mines) (6th) and silver and several other minerals. Large deposits of coal and iron ore support concentration of industry, in centers like Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Ranchi. Despite the fact that it has First Iron & steel factory at Jamshedpur, largest fertilizer factory of its time in India (since shut down) at Sindri, biggest explosives factory at Gomia, first methane gas well, still, it has several towns and innumerable villages with sub-standard civic amenities. Urbanization ratio is only 22.25% and the per capita annual income is US$ 90 only.

Administration
The state is headed by a Governor, who is appointed by the President of India. However, the real executive power rests with the Chief Minister and the cabinet. The political party or the coalition of political parties having majority in the Legislative Assembly forms the Government. The administrative head of the State is called Chief Secretary, under whose jurisdiction a hierarchy of officials drawn from the Indian Administrative Service / State Civil Services function. The judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice and Jharkhand has a separate High Court, located in Ranchi. Presently, the state has 22 dsitricts.

Language
Jharkhand is home to a number of languages belonging to three major language families. Indo-Aryan languages include Bhojpuri , Hindi, Urdu, Bengali. Jharkand is also home to the Munda languages Korku, Santhali, Mundari, Bhumij, Paharia and Ho, and the Dravidian languages Korwa, Oraon, and Sauria Paharia.

Media
Hindi newspapers like the Ranchi Express and the Prabhat Khabar are main newspapaers, published from the state capital, Ranchi and are available in almost all parts of the state. All important Indian newspapers, in Hindi, English and Bengali are also available in bigger cities by the afternoon and with a day's delay in smaller towns. Most of the national magazines in Hindi, English and Bengali are regularly available in bigger cities and at other places supply may be arranged through newspaper vendors. All India Radio is the only radio station in Jharkhand and covers the entire state. Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster, is also available in almost all parts of the state. Bigger cities of Jaharkhand is served by all television channels available in India and channels are received through cable. In some interior regions, channels are received via satellite dishes. Landline telephone connectivity is provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL),Tata Teleservices(TATA INDICOM) and Reliance Infocomm and covers almost all parts of the state. Cellular service, covering all major centres of the state, is provided by BSNL ,Reliance Telekom and Airtel( GSM Service) and also by Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm(CDMA Service) Internet connectivity is available in most of the district headquarters, but broadband connectivity is not widely available.

District Wise Population Details
Name of District	Area Sq. km	Total	ST	SC
Ranchi	7573.68	2214088	964422	123239
Lohardagga	1490.80	288886	162964	10919
Gumla	5320.94	707555	493563	25608
Simdega	3756.19	446421	323425	35691
Palamu	4015.16	1182770	106254	324223
Latehar	3660.47	467071	211580	99507
Garhwa	4044.22	801350	125432	190830
West Singhbhum	5290.21	1080780	717708	49385
Saraikela Kharsawan	2724.55	707175	260361	40111
East Singhbhum	3533.35	1613088	466572	77194
Dumka	3716.36	950853	443285	52763
Jamtara	1801.98	544856	178199	51331
Sahebganj	1705.98	736835	228990	49304
Pakur	1805.59	564253	278331	21484
Godda	2110.45	861182	216047	72893
Hazaribagh	5965.35	1836068	223571	280700
Chatra	3706.22	612713	23487	198668
Koderma	1311.63	394763	3528	57789
Giridih	4887.05	1496189	148342	202084
Dhanbad	2074.68	1949526	171741	312467
Bokaro	2860.82	1454416	177123	197365
Deoghar	2478.61	933113	119085	115697

Forest Area in Forest Divisions (in Hectares)
Forest Division	District	Reserved	Protected	Unclassified	Total
Deoghar	Deoghar		23546		31400
	Santhal Paragna		7854
Dumka		12853	148136		150989
Hazaribagh West	Hazaribagh	672	176524	340	177536
Hazaribagh East	Hazaribagh	1743	63625		125699
	Giridih	60331
Chatra South	Hazaribagh	752	101828		102580
Chatra North	Hazaribagh		93372		93372
Kodarma	Hazaribagh	15630	73408		89038
Giridih	Giridih	8776	143020		151796
Dhanbad	Dhanbad	10825	15555		26380
Saranda	Singhbhum	81808	3988	86	85882
Kolhan	Singhbhum	58716	11258	68	70042
Porahat	Singhbhum	50628	15816	98	66542
South Chaibasa	Singhbhum	31	50875		50906
North Chaibasa	Singhbhum	6486	61540		68026
Ranchi East	Ranchi	11742	80182		91924
Dhalbhum	Singhbhum	53050	51863		104913
Ranchi West	Ranchi	15677	57784		100034
Lohardagga	Lohardagga	10613	15960
Latehar	Ranchi	3417	10652		132384
Latehar	Palamu	17231	101084
Gumla	Gumla	12102	118717	16	130835
Daltonganj North	Palamu	3987	126661		130648
Garhwa South	Palamu	549	123586		124135
Garhwa North	Palamu		78705		78705
Daltonganj South	Palamu	58081	46044	45	104170
Giridih Afforestation	Giridih	485	16318		16803

Universities

Name of the University	Head Quarter	District
Ranchi University	Ranchi	Ranchi
Siddhhu Kanhu University	Dumka	Dumka
Binova Bhave University	Hazaribagh	Hazaribagh
Birsa Agricultural University	Ranchi	Ranchi
B.I.T. Mesra Deemed University	Ranchi	Ranchi

Colleges

Law Colleges

Name of the University	Place	District
Rajendra Law College	Hazaribagh	Hazaribagh
Chotanagpur Law College	Ranchi	Ranchi

Agricultural / Forest University / College

Name of the University / college	Place	District
Birsa Agriculture University	Kanke	Ranchi
Faculty of Forestry Sciences	Kanke	Ranchi

Engineering Colleges

Name of the Institute	Place	District
Birsa Institute of Technology	Sindri	Dhanbad
Indian School of Mines	Dhanbad	Dhanbad
Birla Institute of Technology	Mesra	Ranchi
Faculty of Agriculture Engineering	Kanke	Ranchi
Regional Institute of Technology	Jamshedpur	East Singhbhum

Medical Colleges / Institutions

Name of the Institute	Place	District
Patliputra Medical Colleges	Dhanbad	Dhanbad
Rajendra Medical College	Ranchi	Ranchi
Hospital for Mental Deseases	Kanke	Ranchi
MGM Medical College	Jamshedpur	East Singhbhum
Ranchi Veterinary College	Kanke	Ranchi
Jharkhand Veterinary College	Kanke	Ranchi
Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry	Kanke	Ranchi

College of Nursing

Name of the University / college	Place	District
Rajendra Medical College & Hospita	Ranchi	Ranchi
Yogda Satsang Homeopathic College	Ranchi	Ranchi
Homeopathic College & Hospital	Mihijam	Dumka